New TCRG Paper Explores Industry Influence in the Retail Environment

17 April 2026, at 15:59.

A new paper from the Tobacco Control Research Group examines how tobacco companies maintain a strong presence in retail, and highlights options for regulation.

The paper brings together evidence on how tobacco companies aim to control the retail environment, in order to maintain product visibility, determine how tobacco is presented in shops and resist measures that might reduce tobacco sales. It shows why retail matters for tobacco control, given that in many jurisdictions shops are one of the few places where tobacco companies can still market their products. Finally, it discusses regulatory options that could help reduce the visibility and availability of tobacco products.

As lead author Hussein Faeq explains:

“Retail is one of the main ways in which tobacco companies influence people. When tobacco marketing is visible in shops, especially to children and in disadvantaged communities, it helps normalise these products. Paying more attention to the retail environment could help reduce that exposure and limit the industry’s influence.”

Read the paper:

Exposing tobacco companies’ retail presence and highlighting regulatory options, H. Faeq, R. Hiscock, R. Alebshehy, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation, 12 April 2026, doi: 10.18332/tpc/211478